Monkey Wrench
by Konstantinsen
Summary: Two legends meet to discuss matters concerning the future of the Zone.


**NOTE: _The Way Home_ once again rekindled the stalker in me and because of it, I've resumed playing Shadow of Chernobyl... and thought of this.**

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There was a knock on the door. Strelok turned away from the window and saw it open without his consent. He would have been offended at the rude entry until he saw who it was. A smile etched across his face.

"Ah, Colonel! It's good to see you."

Degtyarev shrugged off the compliment, hanging his cap and coat on the pole. "I am not an office clerk, Strelok. That is why I chose to decline the title."

"But you deserve it." The Marked One drew a bottle of vodka from one of the drawers. "Drink?"

"Just for now." Both men filled their glasses and made a toast to the Zone.

"I just never get used to the V.I.P. treatment at times."

"A stalker sometimes never does."

"Every time I look out the window, I can hear the Zone calling. It's that still, small voice that keeps on ringing in my head… beckoning for my return."

The Major huffed an agreement. "We both share the same illness."

"Yes. I hope it will be gone soon. To hell with it! So, what brings you here?"

Degtyarev placed a folder on the coffee table. "I will be returning to the Zone a week from now. I'm sure you know why."

Strelok hummed as he browsed through the file.

"I heard you made a breakthrough with Odessa. How is she by the way?"

"Doing fine. The experiments were harmful only to us—she was unstable in some of the set-ups but we managed to contain all the energy. Healthy and strong as always. I was thinking about enrolling her at Kiev but home-schooling seems to be more effective in her case."

Degtyarev smirked. The girl wanted to be as far away from the Zone as possible. That is until the dreams stopped. He couldn't blame her. No one could. "The psy-storms and the emissions. Can they be controlled?"

Strelok raised a brow. "Colonel or Major?"

"Major."

"Major, with all due respect I cannot supply you with that kind of information. We all know the reasons."

"But not Sidorovich and Owl. I need to know if they can be managed. It's for the best."

"Are you asking this to help yourself?"

"No." The military stalker had eyes that bulged red from dangerously excessive doses of the anabiotic drugs. Even Strelok had to manage some form of rehabilitation to get rid of the withdrawal symptoms. "Sertov's planned offensive proves he's more a tactician than a strategist. It costs too much and already everyone is at the edge of their seats."

"What are you planning to do?"

"You said the Wish Granter was something more than what it's called. What really is the Wish Granter?"

Strelok pondered his answer for a moment. Degtyarev was not a man keen on dissemination of information. But if he was indeed working to acquire unsound theories, he would have risked his reputation and his moral standing (if the anabiotics had not messed it up yet) as well as raising the stakes in the battle to control the Exclusion Zone. He shook it off. If the Military wanted to probe the Department for Zone Research, they would have done it a long time ago. The Major was a man following orders but he was not one to betray his code. Besides, he _destroyed_ the Wish Granter. "Deception. A fallacy meant to lure stalkers into a false hope that all would be well."

"I see."

"But its capabilities… some of the rumours you hear have some truth in them. Think of it as the collision of two artifacts—one releases radiation while the other absorbs it and as they do, there is a mutual expression of physical effects on the body. The C-consciousness, or Common Consciousness, manipulated the Noosphere in the hopes that it would help bring about peace and stability in this world. Interference by third parties was not highly welcomed so the Wish Granter came to be."

"And the weather?"

"It spiralled out of control. The C-consciousness lost its grip and as more stalkers poured into the centre of the Zone, it became more unstable. A major emission could have devastating effects."

"So where does that leave us?"

"For now, we've moved a few steps but it's still a long way. Why do you need to know all these?"

It was Degtyarev's turn to coincide. "Dolgov wants the Zone and he knows Sertov is either dedicated or obsessed with it. If this pushes through, we could be looking at a catastrophe." He motioned for the file in the stalker's lap.

"So they sent you." Strelok skimmed through the orders, breathing a sigh of frustration. "Just as I thought. They're desperate."

"FAIRWAY was not the worst but it was the most painful."

Strelok leaned forward. "The Wish Granter may be gone but the debris is still there. Whatever was used to create it is still out there." The C-consciousness may have been neutralized but the chaos that followed its demise opened up a portal with which the energy contained in that massive rock could be used to alter the Noosphere and cause potential alterations in the physical realm including the bending of space-time continuum.

"Dolgov may be competent but I can sense it. Regardless if Sertov succeeds or fails, he will always find a way to get to the Noosphere." The message was clear.

"This is a big risk."

"I'll take it."

Strelok sighed. "There are two men I know who can help you… considering they are still alive." Even the best stalkers can fall prey to the harshness of the Zone as proven by two departed friends. He scribbled a few notes onto an index card. "This as much I know."

The Major took it. "Thank you." He headed for the door.

"From now on, we are both marked men."

Degtyarev's eyes snapped back at his host. "Unless we keep our heads down."

"Come back tomorrow. I will give you what you need."

"Thank you, Strelok." With a handshake, the day's business was over. "Give Odessa my regards."

"Home-schooling?"

"Home-schooling."

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**NOTE: Assuming I don't get bogged down by laziness or writer's block, I will try to finish my dusty manuscripts of this character named Odessa.**


End file.
